Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-03-18
4 severe Arrnignmeni of the Demo
cratic Lender- in Congress.


More than 900 OOO citizen, Of the United
States, a large portion If whom are voters,
petitionod the Congress which closed last
Friday for the passage of the National I'd
ucation bill over 100, 900 of these re
quests were over autograph signatures,
while others have been presented collec-
lively from national associations, societies
churches, etc The Washington National
Republican in breakfast Table Letter to
the President" just before the adjourn
ment said Mr.. President The House of
Representatives of the forty ninth Congress
in its closing hours presents TO the people IA
sad spectacle, indeed. 1t is not delibera-
tive body it has simply reduced itself into
n cabal to gag legislation and thereby de
feat the viii Of the people. The chief con
spirators are Carlisle, Randall and Morri-
son. The Blair bill, wise and patriotic
measure, founded on the principle of pro
noting the general welfare by free educa-
ton, which is the cornerstone of republi-
can institutions, is now being deliberately
strangled to death by the three Democrats
The following from the Charleston, S. c.,
News and Courier is of interest as showing
how the South receives this condition of
things The News and Courier appropriately
heads the article "A Heavy Responsibility:
The Importance of the Blair education
al bill to every southern state has been too
clearly shown and is too fully understood
TO require to be argued anew. Recent re
ports from Louisiana give the unpleasant
information that over une-half of the vot-
ers of that state cannot read or write and
that the number of illiterates is increasing
from year 10 year rather than diminishing
Expenditures for educational purposes have
reached high water mark, it is believed, in
nearly every southern state, if not in all,
and federal aid must be obtained or great
number Of children, white and black, will
grow up in hopeless ignorance.
The supposed constitutional objections to
the Blair bill have been overcome, or, at
any rate, the bill has been shown to be as
constitutional as many other less deserving
measures that have been passed without
any objection. 1t is of supreme conse-
quence if it is of any consequence at all,
that the people shall be educated If in
telligence, in short, is an element of value
in the exercise of the suitrage--if 1t Is nee
essarv for the success of free institutions
and of Il government Of and by the people,
that they who control the government shall
have trained minds, or at least enough ed
ucation to enable them To read and write
then is this bill of more Importance than
even the bills for construction of n navy,
or of Notifications, or for any other pur-
pose,
'1here is always, moreover, the special
and most urgent reason in favor of the
particular bill in question, that where Hit
eracy is most glaring and most dangerous,
that is in the south, it has been made an ell
ement of peril to the south and TO the whole
country by the action of the nation in inn
posing the suffrage ON race of people who
we're utterly mprepared and unfit for it,
and who are hopelessly unable to educate
themselves. No evidence or reason what
ever is given or can be given, we believe,
to Justify the expectation that the southern
states can successfully deal with the press
ing problem of educating this class Of their
illiterate citizens and those who are soon
to become citizens,
"These are the general facts, A reason
able and proper bill which would give the
needed aid, and would correct in every re
spect the condition of things TO which it re-
lates, has passed the Senate by AN over
whelming vote, but is now tied up in a com